


Night Shift II

by sal_si_puedes



Series: Night Shift [2]
Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Accidents, But he DOES have Harvey and he WILL be alright again some day!!!, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I promise!, M/M, Medication, Pain, Pills, Poor Mike!!, shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 21:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2788946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sal_si_puedes/pseuds/sal_si_puedes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twelve weeks after his accident Mike is still in pain. Harvey helps in any way he can. (Classic h/c)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Shift II

**Author's Note:**

  * For [naias](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=naias).



> Sequel to [Night Shift](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2760233) but can be read as a stand-alone.
> 
> For the wonderful naias, as always!!
> 
> There is a [Russian translation of Night Shift](https://ficbook.net/readfic/4594904) now by [neexyaschborn](http://neexyaschborn.tumblr.com/).
> 
> I am [sal-si-puedes](sal-si-puedes) on tumblr.

Harvey doesn't know what exactly woke him up. The missing warmth beside him? The faint tremors running through the mattress? The soft sniffling sound, interchanging with short, choked pants and suppressed breathing? The _pain_ radiating from the other side of the bed, gripping him tightly? His name, a whisper in the dark?

He finds Mike curled up on his side, facing away from him. Mike's body is tense and occasional shivers shake it to its core. Harvey just knows that Mike's eyes are squeezed shut tightly. He knows that from how Mike's hands are balled into tight fists, his fingers twisted into the sheets, and he knows that from those devastating sounds. He hears how Mike holds his breath and presumably bites his lips for a moment, a moment that stretches and stretches into the night, and then releases his breath shakily. And when he shifts, when he turns his head and props himself up on his elbows, Mike curls into an even tighter ball and a strangled gasp escapes his lips.

Harvey carefully and only very, very lightly touches Mike's shoulder. "Mike," he murmurs and blinks into the darkness. "Where does it hurt?"

When Mike had been released from the hospital, a little over four weeks after the accident, Harvey had taken him home with him. He'd gone to Mike's apartment the day before and had brought almost all of Mike's clothes and some other items with him, filling his closet, bathroom cabinet and drawers beautifully with Mike's belongings. This night marks week twelve after the accident and this is not the first night like this. The pain is taking its toll on both of them. Harvey's world has been blurry around the edges for a couple of days now and that makes it even more difficult for him to read the signs Mike is so determined not to send.

Mike lets out a short pant and tries to shake Harvey's hand off but that brisk movement causes him to cry out in pain, so he just keeps lying there with Harvey's hand touching him. 

"Mike," Harvey repeats and strokes Mike's shoulder lightly. "Where does it hurt?"

"Back," Mike gasps after a couple of seconds. "Head."

Harvey worries his lower lip between his teeth and inhales slowly. The back pain is the worst, he knows that, and he knows as well that there's nothing wrong with Mike's head. Technically. He also knows that Mike's head hurts even worse than his back in nights like this.

Mike is sweaty, Harvey can feel that, his t-shirt feels clammy and his heart is beating fast. Now that he can see a little clearer, he watches Mike's fists clench around the sheets rhythmically. His head must be throbbing with the rhythm of his pulse.

"Mike," Harvey whispers again and sits up. "Do you think you can keep down your pills?"

"Don't know," Mike groans and releases another of those shallow, strangled pants. "Feel sick."

"Uh-huh," Harvey nods and strokes up and down Mike's arm again. "Can you try and sit up for me?"

Mike shakes his head, causing him to moan in pain, but he painstakingly straightens his body and rolls onto his back in slow motion. When he's lying flat on his back, he's out of breath and he grabs hold of the sheets again, clenching his jaws tightly.

Harvey opens his legs and shifts, wincing when the shock waves his movements send through the mattress draw another strangled moan from Mike's lips. "Sorry," he whispers and sits up against the headboard. "Hold your breath – on the count of three. One." He reaches for Mike's shoulders and closes his eyes for a breath or two. "Two." He carefully shoves his hands under Mike's shoulders and pauses. "Three." Slowly and as gently as possible, he lifts Mike's upper body from the bed and Mike even helps. Harvey can feel Mike's muscles tighten and as quickly as he can, he pulls one leg up and moves it to the other side of Mike's body behind his back. Readjusting his position he pulls Mike a little towards himself and carefully lowers Mike's body until Mike is resting against his chest. 

Mike is trembling and he's sweaty and clammy in Harvey's arms and his heart is beating so impossibly fast and Harvey knows he has to do something quickly. "Good boy," he murmurs into Mike's ear and reaches up to wipe the tears from Mike's cheeks, placing a gentle kiss on his temple. "I could give you a shot instead."

Harvey prays, he actually _prays_ , even though he doesn't know to whom, that Mike says yes to the shot. He knows that Mike hates the shots because the morphine knocks him out for so long, keeps him from working, from thinking the next day. But Harvey can't stand to see Mike like this, shivering and shaken and in so much pain, and he desperately wants for Mike to agree to the shot. He knows that there are only two _acceptable_ options when it comes to the pills: either Mike keeps them down and they work and take Mike's pain away or Mike throws them up within the next ten minutes. Should Mike really manage to keep them down and they _don't_ work, Harvey can't give Mike anything else for the next six hours. They've been through that, twice, and Harvey isn't sure he'll make it through a third time sane and intact. So, even though he never prays, he prays that Mike lets him give him that shot because he knows that Mike is far too stubborn to throw up those pills again even if he needs to and he _knows_ that they sometimes don't work. That third option is _not_ acceptable.

"No." Mike shakes his head weakly and sniffles again. "I'll try the pills."

Harvey closes his eyes and draws a shaky breath. "Okay." He leans sideways and gets the pills from his bedside table. His fingers are trembling ever so slightly when he presses two pills from the blister and he almost spills some of the water when he picks up the glass and hands it to Mike.

It takes a tremendous effort for Mike to pop the pills into his mouth and swallow them down with a few sips of water, and he sinks back against Harvey's chest with a pained moan once he's done.

Harvey sets the glass back onto the bedside table and frowns when he feels Mike shiver in his arms. "Do you want me to pull up the covers?"

Mike nods and winces when Harvey reaches down and draws the covers over them. "I'll try not to puke on them," he murmurs and closes his eyes. "Again."

"Shhhh," Harvey soothes and runs his hands up and down Mike's arms once before he takes them off of Mike and lets his arms fall to his sides. He knows that Mike won't want to be touched for the next ten to fifteen minutes. He listens to Mike's carefully measured breathing and to each and every time Mike swallows. When Mike groans quietly Harvey has to force himself not to tense up. 

Mike actually manages to keep the pills down and when the worst of the nausea seems to be over after an almost thirteen-minute-struggle, Harvey can feel Mike relaxing a little against his chest and both men take a slow, deep breath.

"Fuck, that hurts," Mike says and shifts a little between Harvey's legs. "God."

"Hmmm," Harvey hums and wraps his arms loosely around Mike's body. "You'll feel better soon." _Please,_ he adds in his mind, addressing the emptiness of the night again. _Please let those goddamn pills work._ He buries his nose in Mike's sweaty hair and places the gentlest of kisses on the crown of Mike's head. Inhaling deeply he pulls Mike a little, just the tiniest bit closer, a symbolic gesture rather than real movement, and he wishes he didn't even have to do _that_ but his need to hold Mike close, to wrap himself around him becomes overwhelming so he has no choice. He hates that his selfishness causes Mike more pain but he can't help himself. 

"Have I ever told you about Ruffles?" Harvey asks and kisses Mike's hair again.

"Ruffles?" Mike sounds confused. "What ruffles?" He clenches his jaws and slowly exhales through his nose.

"Not _what_ ," Harvey grins and kisses Mike a third time. " _Who._ " He tilts his head back and closes his eyes. "Ruffles was our dog. My dog. Well, mine and Marcus's."

"Ruffles," Mike whispers and Harvey nods.

"Yeah. We got him when I was about ten. My father brought him home one day, completely out of the blue, and he was just a little puppy and I was afraid that mum wouldn't let us keep him but somehow my dad must have talked her around."

Mike coughs and utters another pained moan and Harvey can't help but tighten his arms around Mike a little more. He curses himself inwardly but, once again, he can't keep himself from doing that.

"I named him," Harvey continues and Mike nods. "He was so tiny when we got him and I stayed with him that first night he slept in our kitchen. I was sitting on the floor, leaning against the door, and he squeezed himself into that small space between my butt and the door and fell asleep right there."

"Cosy," Mike murmurs and Harvey kisses his hair once more. "Warm."

"I was afraid to move," Harvey says, frowning. "I was afraid to crush him behind my back."

"He would have bitten you in the ass," Mike chuckles and Harvey's face spreads into a grin.

"Yeah," he smiles and gives Mike another kiss. "He would have."

"Pointy little teeth," Mike shifts in Harvey's embrace and his hands come up under the covers to cover Harvey's. 

"Yeah," Harvey says again and takes one of Mike's hands between his. "Very pointy." Mike's fingers are ice-cold and Harvey waits for a couple of seconds before he speaks again, savoring the sensation of the warmth of his own hands radiating, seeping into Mike's. "I remember the moment I first saw him," he goes on, biting his lips. "I—"

Mike's fingers between his twitch the tiniest bit when Mike tries to squeeze his hand. 

"I remember how my heart actually ached when I first saw him. How my chest felt too small all of a sudden. How my eyes suddenly stung."

"Yeah," Mike murmurs and squeezes Harvey's hand again. 

"I loved him at first sight and even though I did not recognize that it was love I was feeling back then, once I _knew_ I was certain that there would be no greater love than that. That there _couldn't_ be." Harvey scoffs and leans forward a little until his lips touch Mike's shoulder. The t-shirt has almost dried and Mike doesn't feel so clammy anymore. "I thought that for a long, long time and to prove me right my heart never ached like that again."

"Until now," Mike says and his voice sounds a little sleepy. 

"No," Harvey whispers into the fabric covering Mike's shoulder. "Until the interview."

"Hmmm," Mike makes and Harvey can hear the faint smile in Mike's voice. His fingers are getting warmer and he doesn't take a sharp breath anymore every time either he or Harvey moves. "Tell me more about Ruffles, then," he mutters and Harvey smiles at the slurry note that has crept into Mike's words. Harvey can actually _hear_ how heavy Mike's tongue must be feeling. "Did you go on any adventures?"

"Loads," Harvey grins and keeps talking in a soft, even voice until Mike has fallen asleep in his arms. When he's sure that Mike really is fast asleep he maneuvers the two of them until they're lying down, spooning up behind Mike and holding him close. He doesn't let go all through the night and when they wake up in the morning, when Mike first stirs and then turns in his arms, opens his eyes and smiles at him, Harvey's heart aches like it never has before and his eyes sting. 

"I love you," he whispers against Mike's lips and the echo of his words that lingers on his own lips like an early morning kiss tastes better than the finest scotch. 

 

~fin~


End file.
